I finally sat down to try to compile my 2022 Reader's Journal. It was definitely not a year with a lot of reading; it was a year of travel and of grieving. But there were a few books I just adored. My recommendations have asterisks in the list below, and my favorites are highlighted here.
The Order of the Phoenix (JK Rowling)
This year I finished reading all of the Harry Potter books, and the Order of the Phoenix was my favorite. This is the midpoint in the story, and it's the place where we really begin (I think) to see the maturation of the main characters. The stakes of the war between good and evil are raised in this book. My favorite books other than this one were The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Deathly Hallows, but I like The Order of the Phoenix the best. However, the later books--say, The Goblet of Fire on to the end--are better suited for teenagers than children. I resisted reading these books for years (I'd tried to read the first one ages ago, but couldn't get into it, and it's definitely the weakest of the books), but now I appreciate the intricate world and characters JK Rowling developed and the ultimate message of the story, which has to do with the lifesaving power of (surprise!) sacrificial love.
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
I am placing this book here even though it disappointed me bitterly, because I really did enjoy the bulk of it. I loved the weaving together of the stories of the German boy and French girl, and Anthony Doerr is a talented storyteller. But I cannot forgive him for the last 50 pages. Oh Anthony! Why?!
Even so, it's a very, very good book. (But really. WHY??)
Vein of Iron (Ellen Glasgow)
I had read Vein of Iron years ago, but wanted to re-read the story of Ada Fincastle. I loved this book--an insight into the world of a Virginian during the years preceding the Great Depression. It's a well-executed book, and I think Ellen Glasgow is a sort of "hidden gem" writer. I was introduced to her years ago by my college roommate/best friend, who is a Glasgow scholar. I particularly appreciated Ada's father in the story during this reading; he seemed more nuanced than I'd found him the first time I read the book.
Final Gifts (Maggie Callanan & Patricia Kelley)
I recommend this to anyone who is dealing or may deal with a dying person--and spoiler alert!--that means everyone. There is so much meaning in a person's final days, which can be both brutal and strangely lovely. Too many people are keen and quick to disregard the things dying people say or do. This book confirmed what I have thought for a long time: that there's meaning and a sort of universality among these experiences. Highly recommended.
How Green was My Valley (Richard Llewellyn)
Oh, how I loved this book! I listened to most of it on Audible, read by Ralph Cosham (he's great). Then I finished it in paper--my husband gave me a first edition copy for my birthday, three days after my Daddy died. It was such a treat to really relish the last chapters by reading it on paper. I found the characters compelling and realistic, the story poignant and beautiful, and some of the scenes absolutely riveting and--in one case--heartbreaking. I read it right around the time my father died. I cried. It was a wonderful book--my favorite of the year. My father would have loved this book, too.
1. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (JK Rowling)*
2. Are Women Human? (Dorothy Sayers)*
3. All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)* (loved this book until about 50 pages from the end, and then was furious and dissatisfied!)
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (JK Rowling)
5. The War of Art (Steven Pressfield) )(this was a re-read--I basically read it every year, because I'm a fan.)
6. How to be a High School Superstar (Cal Newport)(Cal sometimes drives me crazy, but he makes good points, and the primary point of this book is that colleges aren't that interested in "well-rounded" students anymore--they have thousands of applications from well-rounded, top-tier students every year. Instead, the author encourages students to be interesting. I can get on board with that, because it seems like a more real and organic way to live--pursuing one's interests--than checking all the boxes of athlete, volunteer, scholar, et cetera. And--here's my addition--what makes someone interesting? Being interested in the world! That's an admissions philosophy I can embrace and appreciate.)
7. Piranesi (Susanna Clarke)(fascinating, weird, and strangely predictable, but ultimately too far outside the realm of believability, and yes, I realize that Harry Potter books aren't exactly within the realm of believability, but they do have their own logic and rationality, even if they don't comply with the workings of our natural world. The world of Piranesi was just tooooo far gone for me. However, it was thought-provoking.)
8. The Shallows (Nicholas Carr)*(a good book that takes a hard look at what the Internet can do to our brains; this book contained one of the most thought-provoking quotes of the year for me, which I'll share sometime. I read it by the pool and kept having to stop and make notes in my journal about it.)
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (JK Rowling)
10. A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)*
11. Vein of Iron (Ellen Glasgow)*
12. Blue Ruin (Grace Livingston Hill)
13. The Jane Austen Diet (Brian Kozlowski)
14. Final Gifts (Maggie Callanan and Patrician Kelley)*
15. How Green Was My Valley (Richard Llewelyn)*
16. A New Name (Grace Livingston Hill)
17. Grace Livingston Hill (Robert Munce)(an interesting glimpse into Grace's life!)
I also listened to five Harry Potter books on CD: The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, and The Order of the Phoenix.
As always, there was also the Bible, smatterings of The Book of Common Prayer, my favorite devotional (Streams in the Desert), and Uniformity with God's Will, a personal favorite. I also read much of The Screwtape Letters, which I basically read every summer by the pool. It's an annual tradition for me now!
I also suspect, as I always do, that I missed a few books along the way, but I did my best to remember and list the books I've read here!
I did not read many books to my children last year. Annie and I are working our way through Heidi, and the kids and I are reading Carry On, Mr Bowditch, and as a family we're reading The Hobbit, but it has been very, very hit-or-miss. Some seasons are like that. I hope that 2023 will be less like that.
Here is a link to last year's list, and previous years' lists as well.
Happy new year, and happy reading!
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